Developer accommodating container, developing cartridge, process cartridge and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9523942-B2
Application number	US-201615211354-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2016
Priority date	Sep 27, 2012
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

A developer accommodating container for accommodating a developer includes: a toner seal member for unsealably sealing an opening of the developer accommodating container; an unsealing member, connected to an end portion of the toner seal member, for unsealing the opening by moving at least a part of the toner seal member; and an auxiliary unsealing member for assisting unsealing by changing a pulling direction of the toner seal member by the unsealing member. The auxiliary unsealing member includes a shaft portion or a projected portion. The shaft portion or the projected portion extends in a longitudinal direction of the developer accommodating container.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A developer accommodating container for accommodating developer, the developer accommodating container comprising:
a toner seal member for unsealably sealing an opening of the developer accommodating container;
an unsealing member for unsealing the opening by moving the toner seal member in an unsealing direction crossing a longitudinal direction of the toner seal member; and
an auxiliary unsealing member contactable to the toner seal member,
wherein the toner seal member is connected to the unsealing member at one end portion, and the toner seal member is provided at another end portion with a sealing portion for sealing the opening,
wherein the sealing portion includes (i) one end side sealing portion positioned at a first side of the opening and (ii) another end side sealing portion positioned at a second side of the opening that is opposite to the first side of the opening,
wherein, when the one end side sealing portion is unsealed, a direction of an unsealing force for unsealing the one end side sealing portion is a direction from the one end side sealing portion to a side of the another end side sealing portion,
wherein the auxiliary unsealing member contacts the toner seal member between the one end side sealing portion and the one end portion, and

wherein, when the one end side sealing portion is unsealed, a tangential line of the toner seal member which includes the one end side sealing portion as its end point and which contacts an outer peripheral surface of the unsealing member is a first rectilinear line, a rectilinear line which is on a rectilinear line passing through the one end side sealing portion and the another end side sealing portion and which extends from the one end side sealing portion as its end point in a direction opposite from the another end side sealing portion is a second rectilinear line, and a tangential line of the toner seal member which includes the one end side sealing portion as its end point and which contacts an outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary unsealing member is a third rectilinear line, a narrower angle of angles formed between the third rectilinear line and the second rectilinear line is larger than a narrower angle of angles formed between the first rectilinear line and the second rectilinear line.

2. A developer accommodating container according to claim 1 , wherein the one end side sealing portion is unsealed before the another end side sealing portion is unsealed.

3. A developer accommodating container according to claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary unsealing member is provided at a position closer to the opening than the unsealing member.

4. A developer accommodating container according to claim 1 , wherein the opening, the unsealing member, and the auxiliary unsealing member are provided in this order with respect to a line perpendicular to a phantom surface including the opening.

5. A developer accommodating container according to claim 1 , wherein, when a tangential line of the toner seal member which includes the another end side sealing portion as its end point and which contacts an outer peripheral surface of the unsealing member is a fourth rectilinear line, a rectilinear line which is on a rectilinear line passing through the one end side sealing portion and the another end side sealing portion and which extends from the another end side sealing portion as its end point and passes through the one end side sealing portion is a fifth rectilinear line, and a tangential line of the toner seal member which includes the another end side sealing portion as its end point and which contacts an outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary unsealing member is a sixth rectilinear line, a narrower angle of angles formed between the fifth rectilinear line and the sixth rectilinear line is larger than a narrower angle of angles formed between the fourth sealing portion and the fifth sealing portion.

6. A developer accommodating container according to claim 1 , wherein the unsealing member is constituted by a rotatable member capable of stirring the developer.

7. A developer accommodating container according to claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary unsealing member and the unsealing member are provided inside a toner chamber.

8. A developer accommodating container according to claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary unsealing member is positioned below the unsealing member.

9. A developer accommodating container according to claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary unsealing member is positioned below the opening.

10. A developer accommodating container according to claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary unsealing member is positioned above a lower end of the unsealing member in a state in which a cartridge including the developer accommodating container is mounted in a main assembly of an image forming apparatus.

11. A developer accommodating container according to claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary unsealing member includes a projected portion that projects from a bottom member of the developer accommodating container, and
wherein the projected portion is located below an axis of the unsealing member.

12. A developer accommodating container according to claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary unsealing member includes a shaft portion that extends in a longitudinal direction of the developer accommodating container and does not rotate.

13. A developing cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus, the developing cartridge comprising:
a developer accommodating container according to claim 1 ; and
a developer carrying member for supplying developer in the developer accommodating container to a surface of an image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is to be formed.

14. A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus, the process cartridge comprising:
per accommodating container according to claim 1 ;
an image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is to be formed; and
a developer carrying member for supplying developer in the developer accommodating container to a surface of the image bearing member.

15. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet, the image forming apparatus comprising:
a developing cartridge according to claim 13 ,
wherein the developing cartridge is detachably mountable to the image forming apparatus.

16. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet, the image forming apparatus comprising:
a process cartridge according to claim 14 ,
wherein the process cartridge is detachably mountable to the image forming apparatus.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Takeuchi Toshiaki
• Kimura Takashi
• Batori Yoshiyuki
• Murakami Ryuta
• Makiguchi Daisuke
• Yamaguchi Noritomo
• Hayashi Naoki

Classifications

• G03G15/0881 Primary

  Sealing of developer cartridges · CPC title

• G03G15/0882 Primary

  by a peelable sealing film (resealing used developer units before refilling: G03G15/0894) · CPC title

• G03G15/0898 Primary

  for preventing toner scattering during operation, e.g. seals (sealing the donor member G03G15/0817; sealing the magnetic brush G03G15/0942) · CPC title

• G03G21/18

  using a processing cartridge {, whereby the process cartridge comprises at least two image processing means in a single unit} · CPC title